Questar Gas requests rate decrease

The Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY -- Questar Gas is requesting a decrease in its Utah natural gas rates.

If the request is approved by the Public Service Commission of Utah, the annual bill for the typical residential customer will decrease by about $10 beginning Oct. 1.

“Abundant natural gas supplies continue to hold down the price of natural gas,” said Craig Wagstaff, executive vice president and COO of Questar Gas. “We’re also working hard to maintain a safe distribution system, encourage customers to conserve energy through our ThermWise programs and, at the same time, do it with rates that are still among the lowest in the country.”

The request includes the company’s regular gas-cost-adjustment filing to cover costs of buying natural gas for its customers. These costs are passed on to customers with no markup and therefore have no impact on the utility’s profits. The “pass-through” adjustments simply enable the company to change rates to reflect changes in gas-supply costs. The request also includes costs related to conservation programs, a low-income assistance program and some system enhancements.